Walk into the light

In yesterday’s post “Danger Will Robinson Danger” I discussed the danger of the doctrine taught by many a Christian teacher. This doctrine teaches that there is no danger for the faithless believer (oxymoron) and the disobedient disciple (oxymoron). Even though we have this testimony.

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.[1]

He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.[2]

With such criticism of this teaching, what am I offering as a teaching? You ask some of the best questions.

I advocate overwhelming evidence found in the New Testament that supports believers in Christ have a hope of a coming salvation. I many times in my post quote scriptures that speak of being saved into a hope and waiting for Christ to bring us our salvation. I would encourage you to look at the tab “Book” on my site and read “Got Salvation” to get a quicker understanding of this hope. There you will find some but not all of the hope we have for salvation.

With this understanding we are born again into a hope. With this hope in Christ we are to do what we are encouraged to do over and over again in scripture in order to make our hope sure.

We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure.[3]

In order to make our hope sure, we will be believers who are not faithless. We will be obedient disciples, showing ourselves to be His disciples.

This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.[4]

We should teach that believers need to abide in Christ in order to make their hope sure. Without this abiding in Christ we shipwreck the very faith that would have saved us.

If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.[5]

If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.[6]

We should teach our disciples what Jesus taught His. Believers need to abide in Him by keeping His commandments. If not they will be cut off the very vine they were grafted into and thrown into the fire.

We need to change our position that they are eternally saved at conversion, to they are grafted into the vine and they need to abide. If they refuse to be believers who have faith, it they refuse to be obedient disciples they will not do as Jesus requires from His disciples. They will have shipwrecked their faith and risk being cut off of the very vine they were grafted into.

Let us no longer give men a false confidence that goes against what Jesus taught, let alone other scriptures, and teach what is according to The Gospel According to the Gospel. Being grafted in is not the end all. Remaining in that grafting until He comes is the end goal. So men will not deceive themselves and know they are truly disciples of Christ.